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GETTING STARTED

MCC Online Library User Guide

What Is a Journal Article? – Simon Fraser University Library
Identifying Scholarly and Peer-Reviewed Articles – Bow Valley College Library

START YOUR RESEARCH HERE

THE MOSAIC CORE COLLECTION

The Digital Theological Library

The Digital Theological Library (DTL) is one of the most comprehensive collections of digital content in religious, biblical, and theological studies in the world, with more than 1,000,000 ebooks and 100,000,000 articles.

What you will find

  • Books and journal articles in biblical studies, theology, church history, ethics, missions, pastoral care, and ministry

  • Scholarly works suitable for research papers at both the bachelor’s and master’s level

  • Recently published works alongside classic and historical sources


How to access it

  • No login is required to search. Type your topic into the search bar.

  • Select the “Open Access” filter at the top of your results. These items are free to read with no registration, password, or fee.

  • It works on any computer, tablet, or phone with an internet connection.


Using the DTL in your courses

  • Start here. When a course asks you to use scholarly sources, begin your search in the DTL before turning to general websites.

  • Use Open Access. Always apply the Open Access filter so your results include only sources you can read.

  • Required readings. Where a course reading is available in the DTL, your course will link to it directly.

  • Citing your sources. Cite DTL books and articles as you would any scholarly source, using APA style.


Open Access Digital Theological Library

What you will find

  • More than 250,000 ebooks, about half published in the last 25 years

  • Biblical studies, theology, church history, ethics, missions, pastoral care and ministry

  • Scholarly works suitable for research papers at both bachelor's and master's level


How to access it

  • No registration, password or fee is required.

  • The library does not collect personal information about its users.

  • It works on any computer, tablet or phone with an internet connection.


Using the OADTL in your courses

  • Start here. When a course asks you to use scholarly sources, begin your search in the OADTL before turning to general websites.

  • Required readings. Where a course reading is available in the OADTL, your course will link to it directly.

  • Citing your sources. Cite OADTL books as you would any scholarly book, using APA style.


Getting help
Our Librarian or MCC team members can help you find resources for a research paper or ministry project and show you how to search the OADTL effectively. Write to info@gomosaic.college with "Library" in the subject line, and your message will be passed to the Librarian. New students are introduced to the library during New Student Orientation.

Other free resources
The rest of this page lists further free scholarly resources, including open-access journals, theses and dissertations, and Bible reference tools. Use them alongside the OADTL.

Google Scholar
Scholarly articles, books, theses, dissertations, and academic research across most subject areas.

CORE
Open-access scholarly research papers from universities and academic repositories around the world.

Directory of Open Access Journals
Peer-reviewed open-access journals and articles across many academic disciplines.

OpenAlex
Scholarly research database with filtering by topic, year, publication type, citation count, and open-access status.
 
THEOLOGY, BIBLE, AND MINISTRY

Bulletin for Biblical Research
Peer-reviewed research in Old Testament, New Testament, and related biblical studies.
 
Google Theological Journal Search - SPECIALIZED SEARCH ENGINE FOR THEOLOGICAL JOURNALS
Specialized search engine for theological journals and academic theological resources.

Journal of Biblical Literature
Academic biblical scholarship covering the Bible, related literature, and the historical world of Scripture.

Journal of Pastoral Theology
Peer-reviewed research in pastoral theology, pastoral care, ministry practice, and related disciplines.

Journal of Religious Leadership
Peer-reviewed scholarship examining religious leadership, theology, ministry practice, and leadership development.

Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Peer-reviewed research in biblical studies, theology, church history, and related theological disciplines. Older volumes are available through the public archive.

McMaster Journal of Theology and Ministry
Biblical, theological, and professional ministry studies written for pastors, educators, scholars, and ministry leaders.

Themelios
Articles in theology, biblical studies, ministry, church history, and Christian thought.

Trinity Journal
Biblical, historical, theological, and pastoral scholarship published by the faculty of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

Tyndale Bulletin
Peer-reviewed biblical scholarship in Old Testament, New Testament, and related disciplines, with its full archive available online.

Westminster Theological Journal
Scholarly research in theology, biblical interpretation, church history, and ethics.

ERIC – Education Resources Information Center
Research in education, teaching, learning, leadership, student development, and educational practice.

Google Scholar
Research in education, higher education, leadership, curriculum, online learning, and student development.

FREE SCHOLARLY JOURNALS AND ARTICLES

JSTOR Open Content (Free Content Only)
Open-access journals, books, and academic content in the humanities, history, religion, and social sciences.

Project MUSE Open Access (Filter for Open Access)
Open-access scholarly books and journals in the humanities and social sciences.

Directory of Open Access Journals
Peer-reviewed open-access journals covering many disciplines.

CORE
Open-access research papers from universities and academic repositories.

THESES AND DISSERTATIONS

Open Access Theses and Dissertations
Graduate theses and dissertations from universities around the world.

Google Scholar
Search for dissertations and theses by adding terms such as “dissertation” or “thesis” to the topic.

BOOKS AND EBOOKS

WorldCat
Search books and other resources held in libraries around the world.

Open Library
Search and borrow digital books.

Google Books
Search books, book previews, and available full-text works.

Internet Archive
Digital books, historical materials, archives, audio, video, and other resources.

Project Gutenberg
Free public-domain books.

OpenStax
Free college-level textbooks.

BCcampus OpenEd
Free open-access college textbooks and educational materials.

OER Commons
Open educational resources, textbooks, course materials, and teaching resources.

Global Christians
Free Christian ebooks and ministry resources.

BIBLE AND REFERENCE TOOLS

Blue Letter Bible
Bible translations, lexicons, concordances, dictionaries, commentaries, and study tools.

Christian Classics Ethereal Library
Classic Christian theological, historical, and devotional works.

Early Christian Writings
Early Christian texts and historical resources.

Bible Archaeology
Resources related to biblical archaeology and historical background.
 
PAID SUBSCRIPTION (NOT REQUIRED, BUT AN EXCELLENT OPTION FOR RESEARCH WITH FLEXIBLE ANNUAL FEES)

ATLA (American Theological Library Association) - ATLA resources are appropriate for any level of research
https://www.atla.com/about/individual-membership/
* 2,400+ journal titles in total, 1,100+ of which are currently being indexed
* 1.2 million+ journal article records
* 280,000+ essay records
* 1 million+ review records
* 460,000+ book records
 
PRIMARY RECOMMENDED RESOURCE FOR RESEARCH: Paid Library Resources ($9.50 per month or $79.80 annual subscription)
https://zendy.io/

ONLINE BIBLE, CHURCH, AND MINISTRY MAGAZINES

Albert Mohler - The Briefing
Bible Archaeology
Bible Study Magazine
Biola University
Calvary Chapel Magazine
CCM Magazine
Charisma Magazine
Christian History Magazine
Christian Standard
Christianity Today
Church Executive Magazine
Church Production Magazine
Church Tech Today
Group Magazine
Guideposts Magazine
Influencer Magazine
Just Between Us (Women in Ministry)
Ministry Magazine
Outreach Magazine
Point Magazine
Relevant Magazine
Sojourners
Spirituality and Health
Technologies for Worship Magazine
The Church Network
The Gospel Coalition
Today’s Christian Woman
Today’s Pastor
World Magazine
Worship Leader
Youth Ministry Magazine

OPENSTAX BOOKS
OpenStax Books is a free online educational resource for collegiate-level textbooks.

THE INTERNET ARCHIVE
The Internet Archive, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is building a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Like a paper library, we provide free access to researchers, historians, scholars, the print disabled, and the general public. Our mission is to provide Universal Access to All Knowledge.
 
The Internet Archive today contains:


PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOKS
Project Gutenberg is an online library of free eBooks. Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related content today..
 
ONLINE​ REFERENCE WORKS


Great Academic Articles for Any Discipline


Business Journals

Church Ministry


Counseling


Evangelism


History


General Education Topics


Worship/Music


Youth Ministry

 
WEBSITES WITH FREE EBOOKS
 

 
THEOLOGICAL JOURNALS

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